Here's a report from the Wall Street Journal's China RealTime Report about a statement from Chen Guangcheng's former adviser, Mattie Bekink. Ms. Bekink's full statement is below. One has to wonder who has Chen's ear and what advice they are giving him. Is he even aware of the shitstorm his statement has kicked up? As many have noted, it's a sad situation all around. And let's not forget who's really to blame here: not Chen, not NYU, not his current or former advisors, but the Linyi authorities who made it necessary for him to leave China in the first place by their inhumanly cruel persecution of him for perfectly lawful activities, and the central government that enabled them and consistently looked the other way.

NYU has been Generous to Chen Guangcheng

Cheng Guangcheng is not being forced out of NYU. Neither the Chinese government
nor the university is pushing him out. His time at the university is simply
coming to its conclusion, a conclusion that was determined long ago and that
Mr. Chen has been aware of since shortly after his arrival in the United
States. NYU's campus in Shanghai had nothing to do with it then, and has
nothing to do with now. And to suggest China's Communist Party is somehow
involved or is putting pressure on NYU is absurd.

I should know, since I am the one who told him about the length of his tenure
at NYU.

I currently have no affiliation with NYU. But I was a consultant to the
university in 2011 and 2012, first working in Shanghai for a year on
establishing the campus there, and then coming to New York shortly after Mr.
Chen's arrival at NYU to serve as his special advisor.

As a lawyer who had done rule of law work in China, I was glad to come to New
York to assist the courageous Mr. Chen and his family. I believe he is a
remarkable individual who has faced tremendous injustice, suffered greatly, and
nonetheless continues to shine with a sense of purpose and optimism that is
inspiring. His legal advocacy work was impressive and important for China. It
was a great privilege to work with him and I look back at our time together
fondly. I am very saddened to see him now distorting the facts about his time
at NYU. It is for this reason that I wish to set the record straight.

NYU has consistently been generous to and supportive of Mr. Chen and his
family. The university, with no advance warning, no budget, and no chance to
prepare, embraced Mr. Chen and provided him with an unprecedented level of
support. Professor Jerry Cohen's comment that "no political refugee, not
even Albert Einstein, has received better treatment," couldn't be more
apt. Professor Cohen's personal generosity similarly cannot be overstated.

NYU’s support for the Chens was extensive and comprehensive. It was thoughtful
and deeply personal, specifically designed to meet their needs and adapted as
those needs changed. When Mr. Chen arrived in New York, he was recovering from
injuries sustained from his dramatic escape. NYU provided physical therapists
to work with him along with an interpreter. When the children faced an
unplanned summer, NYU found them a bilingual Mandarin summer camp and provided
daily transportation. My clear instructions from the university were to do
whatever was necessary to support this family. Never once did NYU deny a
request I made on behalf of the Chens, regardless of expense. The university
always put the Chens’ needs first.

Professor Cohen and others at the university tried to help the Chens make the
difficult transition from rural China to the heart of Manhattan. He and other
colleagues invited them to their homes, organized dinners with people they
thought the Chens might like to meet, and arranged outings and activities for
the children. We wanted to see them thrive. We cared. NYU cared. And, as far as
I can tell, still cares. This is why I was so mystified to see his claims.

Mr. Chen's advocacy was also in no way curtailed or limited by NYU. In fact,
the university enabled him to continue his advocacy by providing him with
interpreters, helping him to write and get op-ed pieces placed, facilitating
meetings with relevant stakeholders in the human rights and disability rights
communities, government, academia, and media, and supporting his work.
Professor Cohen, himself an outspoken critic of China, worked tirelessly to
ensure that Mr. Chen's voice was heard and especially to draw attention to the
ongoing suffering of his family members still in China.

NYU's unflinching support for Mr. Chen clearly demonstrates that it was not
influenced by the Chinese government. As the university has pointed out,
approval for the NYU Shanghai campus came only after Mr. Chen was already
comfortably settled in his Greenwich Village apartment. If the university had
put its own interests in China ahead of its commitment to academic integrity
and principles of academic freedom, it never would have extended the invitation
to Mr. Chen in the first place. NYU also did not accept Mr. Chen under duress.
It was public knowledge as Mr. Chen's departure from China was being negotiated
that he had offers from other institutions, such as the University of
Washington. NYU could easily have side-stepped this matter, so its welcoming of
him and its continuous support make plain the university's values have not been
compromised.

NYU provided Mr. Chen with a soft landing as a fellow in the Law School and
helped him adjust to life in the United States. The plan was to support him and
his family for a year and then assist them in making more permanent
arrangements. That was always the understanding, and Mr. Chen was informed of
this and was very grateful. NYU never committed to supporting the family
indefinitely. The only thing that has changed is the passage of time.

It is a great shame that as his time at NYU comes to a close Mr. Chen chooses
to malign his friends and supporters at the university with false statements.
But his comments suggest that he is having a hard time accepting the reality of
his new life. It is not the Chinese communist authorities who "want to
make [him] so busy trying to earn a living that [he doesn't] have time for human
rights advocacy". Rather it is life in capitalist America that requires
individuals to support themselves. NYU's extreme generosity has perhaps
protected him from confronting this reality until now, but that level of
largesse was never intended to continue indefinitely.

I wish Mr. Chen and his lovely family nothing but the very best during their
continued stay in the United States. My time helping him continue his advocacy
work and helping his wonderful wife and children adjust to their new home was
deeply meaningful and rewarding. I respect the many real challenges Mr. Chen
has overcome. But any alleged challenges coming from NYU's being under pressure
from China are entirely fictional.

Mattie J. Bekink was formerly affiliated with NYU's US-Asia Law Institute as
Special Advisor to Chen Guangcheng. She is a lawyer and independent consultant
currently based in Milan, Italy.

Comments

Oh please, "perfectly lawful activities"? Pray tell, is it legal in America to incited a riot? Chen organized a protest that destroyed highway fencing and endangered people when the mob blocked traffic.

And it's all China's fault that NYC liberal and Texas baptist conservatives are fighting over Chen and to lead our ideological war on China?

By your logic it's the US government's fault Edward Snowden had to hide in Hong Kong.

Posted by: ChasL | Jun 22, 2013 6:38:04 AM

I'm flattered to see the 50-centers are reading my blog. As to whether the charges against Chen had any factual substance (it's hard to organize a riot when you are under house arrest), I will note only that the government itself didn't seem to be very confident. The trial was closed to the public (unlawfully - no state secrets or personal secrets involved). Neither his wife nor his lawyers, all of whom were detained prior to the trial, were allowed to attend. I think that would make most people kind of wonder about the strength of the case against him.